Summer Story- September

I have been telling the story of a special summer I experienced many decades ago. This is the final chapter. If you are interested links to the previous chapters can be found at the end of this chapter.

Summer Story- September

As August passed there were new subjects being talked about on the docks. There were often references to the school year especially among the older kids who were starting high school or going to a new school. I was too busy sailing to think about school and the warm weather still greeted us every day,

One day I woke up to a new chill in the air and the sound of a strong breeze coming across the bay. That West wind was not a common direction for a summer day.
At breakfast my mother said, “put on a sweatshirt and some sneakers today, it’s chilly out”. I agreed that this was not a barefoot day wearing only a bathing suit and a tee shirt.

I was getting my plans for the day organized when I heard our neighbor, whom we called Aunt Emily even though she wasn’t really an Aunt, call across the yard to my mother. “Betty, this looks like The Day!” My Mother answered. It sure feels like it Emily. I wondered what they were talking about but really wasn’t that curious. It was probably about some grown up thing that didn’t involve me

I was on the porch reading my latest Classic Comic book when Frenchy a slightly older kid walked passed the house and said to me, “be on the beach at one O’clock, today’s the day.” My mother came out to the porch and I asked what was special about today that Frenchy wanted me down the beach at one O’clock. My Mom looked into the stiff breeze blowing across the bay and said: “Look at the sky. I think today is the day.”

I realized that the sky was a brighter blue than I remember seeing any time in the summer. This was not the typical hazy hot summer day. It had a different feeling.

As the day passed there was a sense of excitement on the docks. The older kids were not telling us younger kids what was happening on the beach at one o’clock. I knew that I’d better put socks on for the first time in months since it was really chilly on the dock.

As it got near one o’clock I headed to the beach with my Mother and Father and noticed that a lot of our neighbors and friends were heading in the same direction. No one was wearing a bathing suit.

There were about a hundred adults and kids gathered at the waters edge. It was evident that something special was going to happen. Over the dunes came Harold with the biggest ball of string you could imagine. The ball of string was wrapped around a broom stick and Harold’s son and another kid were carrying the ball of string. Harold was carrying a big box kite

The crowd parted to let Harold with great ceremony march to the waters edge and attach the kite to the big ball of string. He announced to the crowd that “the West Wind has once again produced a perfect day for our tribute to the wonderful summer we have all enjoyed. The sun, the beach the bay and special summer friends combine to make this an almost magic time” H e then held the kite up to be launched in that brisk West Wind.

The kite soared into the sky and the kids holding the broomstick ran out the string as quickly as possible. The kite was soon flying among the few fair weather clouds off the beach and over the ocean It became smaller and smaller and kids were saying: Do you still see it? There it is! There it is!

When the kite was just a tiny dot in the sky Harold called out to one of the older kids to come over to the broomstick which was almost empty of string, As Tommy approached Harold and the string, the adults started clapping. Harold handed Tommy a big scissors that he with solemn ceremony used to cut the string.

Everyone watched that tiny dot of a kite disappear into the distance over the ocean.
The kite was gone and the adults and teenagers were all quietly shaking hands and even hugging. The crowd dispersed slowly, quietly, reluctantly and with a sense of sadness.

I learned a lot that summer when I was allowed to cross the street alone and Harold gave an ending that I remember clearly after all those years. The summer unwound like a big ball of string with adventures and memories that have lasted for a lifetime. After that day at the beach the West Wind gave us bluer skies and cooler weather. There was suddenly a different feel to the last days of August and the first week in September. There were fewer kids on the dock every day. Each day cars were packed and goodbyes included the hopeful farewell–: See you next summer, have a good winter

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 August